8-year-old assaulted by middle-aged man in Behala

Kolkata: An 8-year-old girl from Behala was sexually assaulted by a middle-aged man in her neighbourhood.

The incident that took place on Roy Bahadur road of Behala triggered tension among the locals after an irate mob ransacked the house of the accused. A tea shop run by the accused in the area was also damaged by them. The accused has been absconding after the matter came to light on Wednesday morning.

The accused has been identified as Prabir Nandi (50). The locals staged a demonstration in front of the house of the accused on Wednesday morning till senior police officers reached the spot and brought the situation under control. Normalcy was restored after senior police officers assured the locals of action against the accused.

Following the incident, the family members of the victim lodged a complaint at the local police station. On the basis of the complaint, police have started a probe. They are conducting raids to nab the culprit who has been absconding since the incident took place.

The locals demanded stern action against the accused. The accused has been booked under POCSO Act. According to police, Nandi had assaulted the girl in a few previous occasions.

He used to take the girl to his house when his family members were away from home. The accused also threatened the girl of dire consequences if she makes the incident public.

Some locals suspected about the incident after they repeatedly saw the girl visiting his house.

When they assembled in front of the house of the accused, he managed to flee the house. The girl became traumatized on Wednesday and narrated the whole incident to her family members. Police are looking if the accused had committed such incidents in the past.

Cops are conducting raids at various places in the district to nab the culprit who is currently at large.